Here are a few major scientific achievements that led to the utopian future of Star Trek.
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00:00 Hey folks, before we start, just want to say a really quick thank you to Squarespace, who
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00:05 The technology of Star Trek is where a lot of the wonder of the franchise comes from.
00:11 Some tech is inspiring because it seems so realistic that it could actually exist in
00:15 the future.
00:16 Other devices like replicators are just interesting because of how ridiculously utopian they are.
00:21 Now it is worth noting that the Vulcans actually invented many of the things on this list way
00:27 before humanity did and just refused to hand it over because they didn't want humanity
00:32 to become dependent on them.
00:35 And with that in mind, I'm Ellie with Trek Culture, here with the 10 biggest advancements
00:40 in Star Trek history.
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02:31 Number 10.
02:33 Artificial Gravity
02:34 Most fans might not know this, but Starfleet's artificial gravity was actually reverse engineered
02:40 from recovered alien technology.
02:42 In the animated series episode "The Slaver Weapon", we learned that an ancient species
02:46 known as the slavers once ruled most of the galaxy a billion years before the 23rd century.
02:52 The only remnants of their society that remained in the 23rd century was mysterious stasis
02:56 boxes found randomly across the galaxy.
02:59 These boxes contained technology that once belonged to the slavers, including what Spock
03:04 referred to as a "flying belt".
03:06 He explained that this device helped Earth find the key to creating an artificial gravity
03:11 field.
03:12 Once the humans learned the flying belt worked, they were able to incorporate the tech into
03:16 their vessels.
03:17 Now, it's never explained how artificial gravity functions, but we do know that it's
03:21 generated through gravity plating that's spread throughout the vessel's interior.
03:27 Earth-like gravity is so important for humans.
03:31 Spending too much time in zero-gravity environments can be really damaging to our bodies, and
03:36 so it was completely necessary for long-term space travel.
03:41 Number 9.
03:42 The Discovery of Subspace
03:44 Subspace is made of infinite pocket dimensions layered on top of our universe.
03:48 The different laws of physics in these domains allow signals to travel faster.
03:53 Without using a warp drive, a signal sent through normal space can only travel at a
03:56 maximum of the speed of light, which is why Starfleet sent their communications through
04:02 subspace.
04:03 This method allows starships to instantly communicate with Earth while hundreds of light
04:07 years away, though past a certain distance the signal would need to be amplified by a
04:11 subspace relay station.
04:13 Subspace was also used to generate warp bubbles around starships to protect them from the
04:18 effects of bending space.
04:20 Warp travel would not be possible without subspace.
04:23 It's unclear when exactly subspace was discovered, but it must have been before Zefron Cochran's
04:29 first warp flight in 2063, unless he somehow was able to tap into subspace without fully
04:34 understanding what it was.
04:36 Now, subspace is entirely fictional, but it does share some similarities with the extra
04:42 spatial dimensions proposed in string theory.
04:45 If string theory were proven, it would be one of the greatest scientific achievements
04:50 in human history, and a huge step towards a theory of everything.
04:55 8.
04:57 Tractor beams For all of human history, we have been trying
05:00 to find a way to move things without actually touching them.
05:05 Tractor beams are just that, energy projections that Starfleet ships use to hold objects in
05:09 place or move them.
05:11 These devices may seem mundane, but they've actually been very important for humanity.
05:16 Prior to their invention, the NX-01 Enterprise used magnetic grapplers instead, but they
05:21 were much less precise and more easily disconnected.
05:24 Tractor beams made it much safer to tow disabled vessels to safety.
05:28 Tractor beams also assisted with navigating shuttles in hangar bays, and could be used
05:32 to deflect hazardous asteroids and hold fleeing enemy ships completely still.
05:37 One thing that isn't mentioned very often though, is how useful tractor beams could be
05:41 for construction on Earth.
05:44 Just think about the large, heavy components of a starship or a building that could be
05:48 moved with ease into place without the use of cranes or large vehicles.
05:54 7.
05:55 Self-aware artificial intelligences Machines created by humans had become self-aware
06:02 as early as the 23rd century, including V'ger and Nomad, but these were both accidents.
06:09 The first sentient AIs created intentionally by humanity were the Soong-type androids Data,
06:15 Lore, B4 and Juliana-Taylor.
06:18 Their positronic brains simulated real brainwave patterns and were able to grow and learn over
06:23 time, though Dr Noonien Soong struggled to get the emotions perfect until later in his
06:28 life.
06:29 It's no question that a functional positronic brain is alive.
06:32 Later it was discovered that holographic programs could also become sentient if they were advanced
06:37 enough.
06:38 This was what happened to the Doctor from Voyager and the Moriarty hologram from Next
06:42 Gen.
06:43 Exocomps were also recognised as sentient, and one Peanut Hamper was even accepted into
06:49 Starfleet.
06:50 Building sentient artificial lifeforms was banned for a short time following the synth
06:53 attack on Mars we saw in Star Trek Picard, but the ban was lifted when it was revealed
06:58 that the attack was actually carried out by the Romulan organisation the Zhat Vash.
07:02 At the end of the first season of Picard we also learned of a whole new society of synths
07:07 created by Bruce Maddox and Dr Noonien Soong's son, Alton Inigo Soong.
07:13 These Soong-type androids, sentient holograms, exocomps and synths are not mere machines.
07:19 They are entirely new lifeforms created by humanity.
07:24 Number 6.
07:25 Holograms
07:26 We've already talked about holograms that became self-aware, but now let's go over
07:30 some of the other ways that this tech revolutionised life in the Federation.
07:36 The NX-01 Enterprise encountered an alien holodeck in the episode Unexpected, but it
07:41 took a while before humanity's tech was able to catch up to that level.
07:45 Less advanced holograms were used in the first season of Star Trek Discovery, set in the
07:49 mid-23rd century, but were soon phased out, likely because they used too much power and
07:54 were too glitchy.
07:55 These holograms weren't solid like the ones that came afterwards, but they could be used
07:59 for communications, simple simulations and target practice.
08:03 In the 24th century, shortly before the Enterprise D went into service, holodecks were invented.
08:09 This was by far the single greatest advancement in entertainment history.
08:15 Using optical illusions to make the interior space appear bigger, users could escape into
08:20 entire fantasy worlds, complete with characters, storylines, games and anything else you could
08:26 imagine.
08:27 This tech made it possible to simulate solutions to engineering problems and to do virtually
08:32 any activity completely safely.
08:34 In theory, you could literally skydive from the safety of your own home.
08:39 Holodecks is probably the reason why we don't really see anybody watching TV or playing
08:45 video games in the 24th century, because why would you watch it when you can live it?
08:51 Number 5.
08:52 Universal Translators
08:54 Universal translators allow people to communicate with each other while speaking entirely different
08:59 languages.
09:00 And they work by scanning the speaker's brainwaves and somehow feeding a translated
09:07 version of their thoughts into the minds of those around them.
09:11 It's unclear whether these devices could be used to read any thoughts or simply those
09:14 associated with language, but it's possible that the same tech could function as a form
09:19 of artificial telepathy or a direct brain interface like Geordi's visor.
09:24 It's probably not a coincidence that universal translators were invented shortly before the
09:28 launch of the NX-01 Enterprise.
09:31 Being so far from Earth would have been incredibly dangerous if the crew had no way to communicate
09:35 with the new species they encountered.
09:37 They were able to speak to the Vulcans, but any species that didn't have their own universal
09:42 translators would have been extremely difficult.
09:45 By the 24th century, the universal translator was built into the comm badges of Starfleet
09:50 officers and also in all of the ship's computers, and most civilians had their own.
09:56 The creation of the universal translator is one of the greatest achievements in communication
10:01 since the creation of the telephone.
10:03 Number 4.
10:04 Medical Technology
10:05 A lot of Star Trek's medical technology seems miraculous by today's standards.
10:11 Medical tricorders can easily read vital signs and detect certain conditions and viruses,
10:16 laser scalpels allow for cleaner surgeries, and hypersprays eliminate the need for needles.
10:21 But the most revolutionary medical device we've seen in Trek is probably the dermal
10:26 regenerator.
10:27 These small handheld devices would automatically regrow any damaged skin tissue that they were
10:32 shined on.
10:33 They could even remove scars.
10:35 They were typically only used for minor injuries and couldn't grow entire organs or limbs,
10:39 but they instantly healed simple cuts and burns.
10:42 They've been used countless times in Trek, but dermal regenerator technology has never
10:48 been fully explained in canon.
10:51 In the Voyager episode "Warhead", Neelix used one to simulate fake plasma burns on
10:56 Seven's face, and Shikote used one in "Workforce" to reverse similar cosmetic changes.
11:01 Neelix was just a beginner and he was able to create fake plasma burns on Seven's face.
11:07 That implies that anyone with access to this technology could easily modify their face
11:12 in any way they want to.
11:15 Number 3.
11:16 Replicators.
11:17 Replicator technology can rearrange molecules into thousands of different foods, clothing,
11:24 small devices, and other items.
11:26 World hunger was already virtually eliminated on Earth by the time replicators became commonplace
11:30 in the 24th century.
11:32 But its invention gave humanity an infamous and much more convenient supply of food and
11:37 a 100% humane source of meat.
11:40 Plus, they removed the need to store food at all.
11:42 Any meal could be produced hot or cold in an instant, and if you didn't enjoy it, you
11:47 could feed it back into the machine to be rearranged into your next meal.
11:50 They also allowed for things to be built much quicker and easier, leading to what was probably
11:55 the biggest increase in production efficiency since the Industrial Revolution.
11:59 In Star Trek Prodigy, we even saw a replicator that could construct entire vehicles, atom
12:04 by atom.
12:06 Although there are many who claim to prefer the taste of real food, there's no denying
12:10 that the creation of the replicator was a game changer.
12:14 And I really hope they are invented in our future, because an unlimited supply of crisps?
12:21 Yes please.
12:22 Number 2.
12:23 Transporters.
12:24 In the 20th century, Albert Einstein proved that matter and energy are interchangeable.
12:29 They're forms of the same things.
12:31 In Star Trek, Emery Erikson used this knowledge in 2124 to create the first functional transporter.
12:38 The transporter can convert anything into a stream of pure energy, which can then be
12:43 directed somewhere else and reconstructed into its original form.
12:48 Several people died during the early trials of this technology, leaving humanity with
12:52 a general distrust for beaming until closer to the 23rd century.
12:56 For a while, it was almost exclusively used for transporting non-living things.
13:01 Transporter use eventually skyrocketed, and by the time of Star Trek Picard, Earth was
13:05 dotted with public transporters that could send you all across the planet in an instant.
13:10 Of course, transporters were actually created by the writers of the original series as a
13:15 cheaper way to get the characters from the ship to a planet, because landing the ship
13:21 or a shuttle onto a new planet's surface every week would have eaten up the budget.
13:27 1.
13:28 Warp Drive
13:29 The date of Zephyron Cochrane's first warp flight, the 5th April 2063, is one of the
13:34 most important moments in human history.
13:38 Humanity had long believed that faster-than-light travel was impossible, but by folding the
13:44 space around his ship, Cochrane was able to break the universal speed limit.
13:49 After detecting a warp signature near Earth, the Vulcans could no longer ignore humanity,
13:54 so they decided to make first contact.
13:57 What followed was the biggest worldwide collaboration ever seen on Earth.
14:01 When humanity realized they were not alone in the universe, they united like never before.
14:06 The post-World War III planet was transformed into a utopia.
14:10 Humans were finally able to visit other solar systems and become a part of the galactic
14:14 neighborhood.
14:15 Contact Day became an official Federation holiday, celebrated on the 5th April every
14:20 year.
14:21 Some kids get the day off school, and there are celebrations all across the Federation
14:25 commemorating the events of this first warp flight.
14:28 There have been other advancements in faster-than-light propulsion since 2063, such as the Spore
14:34 Drive, the Proto Drive and Quantum Slipstreams, but none changed the fate of humanity like
14:40 the first warp engine.
14:42 And that concludes our list.
14:43 If you think we missed something, let us know in the comments below.
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15:24 I've been Ellie with Trek Culture, and I hope you have a wonderful day, and remember,
15:30 to boldly go where no one has gone before.